{"id":12451,"date":"2020-11-06T12:05:37","date_gmt":"2020-11-06T17:05:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/agriculture\/?p=12451"},"modified":"2020-11-13T16:31:35","modified_gmt":"2020-11-13T21:31:35","slug":"farm-scoop-november-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/agriculture\/2020\/11\/06\/farm-scoop-november-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"Farm Scoop – November 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"

Small Bites – How Cross Training can Benefit the Efficiency of the Farm<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Authored by Coach Polly Shyka<\/p>\n

Small Bites are short, informational articles with practical ideas about stress reduction, improved communication, and farm and family well-being. They are written by coaches from UMaine Extension\u2019s Farm Coaching<\/a> team. Farm Coaches are available at no cost to work remotely with farmers and farm teams.<\/p>\n

Cross training is not just for fitness buffs. On the farm, cross-training is a good management practice that can increase efficiencies and help with coverage in times of need. Cross-training members of your team so that more than one person holds the know-how for a particular task is just plain smart.<\/p>\n

On a friend\u2019s livestock farm, the whole crew, farmers included, switched jobs — for a week!! The milkers took the deliveries, the egg-washers fed pigs, the hay-makers fed the calves. (I wonder what the cows thought!) Having to do a job start to finish is a great way to learn a job, so this grand switcheroo was actually a great cross-training event.<\/p>\n

It is good to have multiple people prepared to do each job. Some farms have very detailed and complete Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). These step by step instructions, often with photos, get the critical steps, variables and quality considerations on any crop or task on paper. In thinking about what a grand switcheroo on your farm might look like, what would others need to know? How would you communicate that? Is that information captured elsewhere or could you include it in your existing SOPs? Or do you need to create new SOPs to capture all the crops and tasks?<\/p>\n

COVID-19 has made a lot of farmers consider contingency planning. Hedging against illness or injury or absence, cross-training employees is one option you might consider to make your farm more resilient.<\/p>\n

Want help to identify areas where cross-training might help your farm? Schedule an appointment<\/a> with a farm coach today!<\/p>\n

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6th Annual Farmland Access & Transfer Conference<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Monday, November 16th- Wednesday, November 18th from 1-5PM
\nVirtual Conference
\nREGISTER<\/a> HERE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

As the largest conference in New England that focuses solely on the issues of farmland access, tenure and transfer, this has become a critical convening for participants across the region.<\/p>\n

Farmers, landowners and farm advocates across New England will learn and share ideas of the\u00a0pivotal role farmers and farmland play in shaping the future of our regional food system. Hosted by MFT and\u00a0Land For Good, we are happy to expand the opportunity for more people to attend by taking the conference online this year!<\/p>\n

To acknowledge the history of injustice and violence that has shaped access to land and our food system\u2014and its ongoing legacy\u2014this year\u2019s conference aims to feature a wider range of diverse voices and perspectives on farmland access in our region. Through this conference and beyond, these organizations are committed to dialogue and awareness raising about inequities and injustices related to farmland access; to critically examine our roles and biases in perpetuating inequities, and to strive for more just and inclusive paths forward around farmland access and tenure.<\/p>\n

When you register, you\u2019ll have access to pre-recorded webinars that you can watch on your own time, live interactive sessions via zoom (which will also be recorded and available to conference registrants), and links to accompanying resources. Registration is available on a sliding scale.<\/p>\n

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Dairy Markets:\u00a0 The 2020 Impact and Bracing for 2021<\/strong><\/h3>\n

2020 saw dramatic price swings in dairy markets due to COVID-19\u2019s global\u00a0impact on foodservice markets. What have we learned from this? What will 2021 bring? While the precise answers are still unknown, we are sure to see volatility. Are you ready? Please Join Crop Growers, LLP for a timely discussion led by Dr. Marin Bozic of the University of Minnesota along with Farm Credit East business consultant Gregg McConnell and AgChoice business consultant Mike Hosterman.<\/p>\n

This event will cover:<\/p>\n